Facebook fights gagging order that prevents it telling users about US government search warrants
Currently barred from telling three of its users about government search warrants seeking to gain access to their information, Facebook is fighting back. The social network is challenging what it says is a threat to freedom of speech.
Documents filed at a Washington DC appeal court show that Facebook wants to notify the users about the warrants so they have an opportunity to object to them. The company cites the First Amendment in seeking to let users know about the warrants, at least one of which relates to protests against Donald Trump.
Protecting hybrid apps from attackers [Q&A]
In order to speed up development times and roll out their apps across multiple platforms without the need to create entirely new code, companies are increasingly turning to hybrid apps. The problem is that these rely on HTML and JavaScript code which is relatively easy to reverse engineer.
How can businesses prevent this and keep their apps and the data they handle safe from hackers? We spoke to Andrew Whaley VP of engineering for Europe at application protection specialist Arxan Technologies to find out.
Computer glitch disrupts technology stock prices
The stock prices for many major US technology companies nose-dived last night following a computer glitch. The problem also sent shares in Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft to the same price after the pre-Independence Day early closure of the stock market.
With all four companies seemingly having a stock price of $123.47, Microsoft's market value appeared to increase by nearly 80 percent, while that of Google and Amazon were both slashed by more the 85 percent. Nasdaq stresses that actual stock prices were not affected, and no trading completed with incorrect pricing.
Nearly half of football fans watch illegal streams of matches -- a third do so regularly
A survey by the BBC reveals that over a third of Premier League football (or soccer, if you insist) fans are getting their gaming fix using unofficial (that is, illegal) online streams.
Kodi boxes and similar dedicated devices are used by more than a quarter of fans for this very purpose. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is younger adults who are more likely to make use of illegal streams.
London behind other UK cities in 4G and broadband speeds
London's 4G and broadband speeds are slower than many smaller cities across the UK, a fact labelled 'quite embarrassing' according to a new study.
A report by the London Assembly (which can be found on this link), found that London's connectivity is lower than that in York, Coventry and Edinburgh. In some areas, like Rotherhithe in Southwark, there are "not-spots" and "digital deserts" (places with no connectivity at all).
China bets on AI to boost productivity and empower employees
China is reportedly set to beef up its AI capabilities as it looks to boost and improve its tech talent.
According to a Reuters report, this is all part of a soon-to-be-announced national Artificial Intelligence plan, which was allegedly confirmed by a senior Chinese official speaking to China Daily.
Newest Motorola Moto Mod is a 360-degree camera
Motorola, which has been aggressively marketing its snap-on phone accessories as its uniquely identifying attribute in the crowded smartphone market, is working on a 360-degree camera that will work with any device that supports other so-called "Moto Mods."
The new accessory was unveiled at a press event in Ghana (because where else?), though it came with scant few other details.
Google users starting to embrace voice search
Those people who have started using mobile voice search in the last six months are the most frequent voice adopters, according to news coming out of Google UK.
More than four in ten (42 percent) are using it daily, compared to those that started using it more than four years ago, where it’s frequently used by a quarter. According to the report, the adoption curve is "getting to a point where brands and agencies need to start taking it seriously."
How Canonical approaches the IoT market with Ubuntu Core
The Internet of Things has enjoyed major growth in recent years, as more and more of the world around us gets smarter and more connected.
But keeping all these new devices updated and online requires a reliable and robust software background, allowing for efficient and speedy monitoring and backup when needed.
Facebook privacy: judge dismisses case surrounding tracking of logged out users
A privacy case against Facebook has been thrown out of court by a judge in the US District Court, Northern District of California. The case surrounded Facebook's tracking of users via Like buttons on other sites even when they were not logged into their accounts.
Plaintiffs said that Facebook violated wiretapping and privacy laws, but District Judge Edward Davila ruled that there was no evidence that the social network had illegally "intercepted" communications. She said that plaintiffs had failed to show "realistic" economic harm or loss, adding that they could have taken steps to maintain the privacy of their browsing histories.
Microsoft drops Timeline from the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update
One of the most hotly anticipated new features in the forthcoming Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is Timeline.
Similar to how Apple's continuity feature works with macOS and iOS, Timeline will allow users to switch between Windows 10 devices and pick up where they left off. Perhaps most excitingly, it should even work on some Microsoft apps running on iOS and Android. Unfortunately, if you’re one of the many Windows 10 users eagerly awaiting its arrival, we’ve some bad news.
OnePlus 5 has an audio problem too
There is no such thing as a problem-free smartphone, and the OnePlus 5 is no exception. A few issues have cropped up since customers started getting their hands on the new flagship killer, and now we can add one more to that list.
The OnePlus 5 exhibits a rather strange audio recording behavior, wherein holding the smartphone in a certain way causes the audio channels to be inverted. Could this be another case of "you're holding it wrong?"
Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID now available
Microsoft unveiled a new keyboard last month, designed specifically for Windows 10 users. It's called Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID, and, just like its name suggests, it features a built-in fingerprint sensor that works with Windows Hello.
Microsoft did not reveal exactly when the Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID would be available, only saying that it is "coming soon." Well, that time has come, as the keyboard is now available in the US.
Linux Mint 18.2 'Sonya' Ubuntu-based distro is here with Cinnamon, Mate, KDE, and Xfce
Another day, another distro! Today, Linux Mint 18.2 achieves stable release. While the usual desktop environments, Cinnamon and Mate, are available immediately, so too are both KDE and Xfce. It is nice to see all four of these flavors released at once, as sometimes the Mint Team opts to stagger them.
Code-named "Sonya," this operating system is based on Ubuntu 16.04 which is a long term support version. This means Linux Mint 18.2 will be supported until 2021. The kernel is fairly modern at version 4.8. To further highlight the continuing death of optical media, the excellent Brasero is no longer being included by default.
Sharing of patient data between Royal Free hospital and Google DeepMind breached Data Protection Act
A partnership between London's Royal Free hospital and DeepMind resulted in a breach of the Data Protection Act, an investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has concluded.
The personal data of more than 1.6 million patients was transferred to the Google subsidiary as part of the creation of Streams, an app to diagnose and detect acute kidney injury. The ICO found that patients were not properly informed about how their data would be used, and highlighted a "number of shortcomings" in the way data was handled.
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